Strategic Plan for Employee Compensation and Benefits

by Jonathan Lister , Demand Media

A strategic plan for employee compensation determines how much you want to pay employees and what type of employees you want to attract. Your compensation plan entails a variety of aspects including pay scales, reward programs, benefits packages and company perks. A successful strategic compensation plan allows your business to compete in the market for the best employees in your industry.

Attracting Quality Employees

Your strategic plan for compensation plays a large role in attracting competent employees. Paying wages at or above the prevailing wage in the market for your company's industry allows you to demand workers with more experience and positive work histories. Employing more qualified workers leads to better results, including higher productivity and customer service interactions. This can increase your company's revenue and help your business establish its identity with consumers.

Rewards for Performance

A compensation strategy may also include rewards for employees based on workplace performance. This may include a commission-based system that rewards employees for total amount of sales or for consistent positive feedback from customers. A reward system should be easy for employees to understand and attainable enough at its lower levels to encourage employees to work harder to reach higher goals. A reward system with performance levels too high for employees to reach early on in the process won't encourage harder work because employees will simply ignore it.

Encouraging Employee Retention

Retaining quality workers requires a strategic plan for compensation that rewards employees for company loyalty. Compensation based in part on seniority with the company shows new employees that your business values workers who choose to remain with the company long-term. This encourages new employees to make a commitment to build a career with your business and deters established employees from jumping to other companies. Experienced workers will think twice about pursuing another opportunity if the new job also comes with a pay cut.

Perks and Benefits

Perks and benefits can make or break your company's ability to attract the best and brightest in your industry. Offering health insurance benefits to full-time workers should be a goal of your strategic compensation plan. You can combine health insurance with other company perks, including paid holidays and guaranteed paid vacation time, to attract more qualified workers to your business. Your decision to offer these benefits is also contingent on the success of your company. You may choose to add health care coverage and paid time off to your benefits package only after your company is showing profitability or makes it past the first year.

About the Author

Jonathan Lister has been a writer and content marketer since 2003. His latest book publication, "Bullet, a Demos City Novel" is forthcoming from J Taylor Publishing in June 2014. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Shippensburg University and a Master of Fine Arts in writing and poetics from Naropa University.

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